2026 1A Preseason Rankings

March 23, 2026
Indiana Staff
Prep Baseball Indiana

With 2025 State Champion Indianapolis Luthern moving up to 2A, Kouts debuts as our No. 1 ranked 1A team ahead of a handful of contenders following. On paper, Kouts looks primed for a run, but there are a couple teams in the Region who could spoil those hopes, along with several other schools coming from the northside of the state's 1A bracket with quality 1-2 punches on the mound and position player depth who could derail the Mustangs, as well.

Sure to change once other contenders emerge and upsets occur, please enjoy our 1A Preseason Rankings below...

THE TOP-5:

+ No. 1 Kouts Mustangs

2025 Record & Accolades: 27-7 (Sectional, Regional, Semi-State Champions)
Returning Starters (Pos/P): 9/6
Impact Players: SO RHP/SS Billy Miller, SR RHP/IF Landon Garrett (Kankakee CC), SO IF/RHP Ben Finney, SR C/1B Cooper Whitaker, SR 1B/RHP Eli Harper, JR C/RHP/UTL Nathan Allen

Kouts made a run all the way to Victory Field in 2025, finishing as the 1A State Runner-Ups, and enters 2026 as the team-to-beat with 2025 1A State Champ Indy Lutheran making the jump up to 2A. Led by Billy Miller, the 1A First Team All-State two-way player in 2025, and Kankakee CC signee Landon Garrett, the Mustangs have a clear 1-2 punch that is one of 1A's best along with returning 9 starters from last year.

Miller put together one of the top seasons of any player in the state last spring - as he hit .514, scored 54 runs, collected 45 RBI's, with 12 doubles and 5 homers as just a freshman. On the mound, he pitched to just a 0.57 ERA in 57 IP with 99 strikeouts. Garrett pitched to a 1.65 ERA with 65 punchouts in 42.1 IP, and also added 39 RBI and 9 doubles while hitting just under .400. SO Ben Finney is another one of the top players in 1A, and he hit .412 and scored 46 runs as just a freshman.

Several others with impactful stats from last season return for the Mustangs. SR Cooper Whitaker will be a power bat in the middle of the order after hitting .380 with 10 doubles as a junior. SR Eli Harper is another power bat returning as he hit .333 with 6 doubles and 4 homers as a junior, along with adding 22.1 IP on the bump while serving as a complementary piece to Garrett and Miller. The addition of Andrean transfer JR Nathan Allen will add further depth in all areas, another offensive presence who will likely serve as a key arm for this squad.

+ No. 2 Clinton Prairie Gophers

2025 Record & Accolades: 22-8 (Sectional & Regional Champions)
Returning Starters (Pos/P): 7/6
Impact Players: SR SS/RHP Kye Jacobs (Rose-Hulman), SR RHP/1B Cayden Robinson, SR C Malachi Corbin, JR CF/RHP Alex King, JR C/RHP/UT Jackson Price, JR MIF Wyatt Harshbarger, JR OF Luke Harshbarger

After getting knocked off by #1 Kouts in the semi-state last year, the Gophers begin 2026 on their heels in the No. 2 spot in 1A. Mr. Do it all and SR SS/P Kye Jacobs returns as the leader after he maintained a staggering .551 average as a junior while also logging 40+ innings on the bump for the Gophers. He was an All-State performer last spring, as was SR Cayden Robinson, who maintained a perfect 8-0 pitching record last year. These two seniors, along with C Malachi Corbin who returns behind the dish, bring strong leadership and talent to this club.

The junior class features four returners who were key pieces for the Gophers on both sides of the ball last year. Alex King led the team in appearances on the mound last spring, logging over 40 innings pitched, while also serving as an impact bat who hit .364 with 7 doubles, 5 triples, and 2 homers as a junior. The pitching staff returns well-over 90% of their IP from last year, and 31 of those innings came from Jackson Price, who will likely return in a similiar role to last year while also returning a .351 average with 11 extra-base hits. JRs Wyatt and Luke Harshbarger are two more two-way players that will serve in big roles for both the pitching staff and the position player group. JR Gaige Kuzmicz will add more depth as he returns from injury this spring, and underclassman Micah Corbin should be one of the few youngsters with a chance to impact this group in 2026.

+ No. 3 Knightstown Panthers

2025 Record & Accolades: 24-5 (Sectional & Regional Champions)
Returning Starters (Pos/P): 7/8
Impact Players: SR IF Jackson Daves, JR OF/P Carson Bonham, SR IF/P Braylon Johnson, SR OF/P Camden Gorman, JR P/IF Carter Gossett, JR C Bryce Marrow, SR RHP/IF Andrew Buchanan.

The Panthers will look to avenge their 2025 semi-state loss to Clinton Prairie this spring and sees themselves one spot behind as our No. 3 1A team coming out of the preseason. After losing just two seniors to graduation, Knightstown is primed for another big season, and they return all of their innings on the mound from a season ago.

SRs Carter Gossett and Andrew Buchanan, along with JR Carson Bonham, combined for nearly 100 innings of work on the mound last spring and bring a combined 14-3 pitching record back. SR Braylon Johnson is the top returning bat from a season ago after hitting .426 with 11 doubles, and he figures to add another talented arm to the pitching staff. SR Cam Gorman will do much of the same after hitting .374 with 14 doubles last year - another top bat that will add depth on the mound. FR Preston Pyle is a RHP who could make an immediate impact to the pitching rotation.

All names above could make an impact offensively, while SR Jackson Daves adds a real power threat to the middle of the order after a junior season that included a .416 average and 10 extra-base hits. JR C Bryce Marrow adds a strong presence both offensively and defensively, and JR Jayce Herran could be a breakout candidate as yet another bat who could make an impact for Coach Ulrey.

+ No. 4 Northeast Dubois Jeeps

2024 Record & Accolades: 22-9 (Sectional & Regional Champions)
Returning Starters (Pos/P): 7/7
Impact Players: JR C/RHP/UT Brycen Mroz, JR P/OF Eli Schroering, JR P/IF Carter Fuhs, JR MIF Jake Kluesner, SR 1B Keyton Jones, JR Sam Beck, JR Carson Beck

The Jeeps enter as our favorites in the south after coming one game short of reaching Victory Field last spring. A strong contigent of juniors will lead this team, with Brycen Mroz, Eli Schroering, and Carter Fuhs returning as the most impactful guys from last spring. Mroz led the team with a .442 average last year while also bringing back the third-most innings on the bump (35). Schroering, a 6-foot-4 lefty, got 51 innings as a sophomore, going 6-3 with a sub-2 ERA and 70 K's. Fuhrs is an impact two-way returning the most innings on the mound (59 IP). These three alone bring back 75% of the innings pitched last spring, while JRs Sam and Carson Beck add more as another couple of players who will impact this team on both sides of the ball. JR 2B Jake Kluesner returns as the second best hitter from last season with a .411 average, and should be a strong top-of-the order threat for Coach Luke Woolems.

+ No. 5 Rossville Hornets

2025 Record & Accolades: 21-8 (Hoosier Heartland Conference Champions)
Impact Players:
SR RHP/IF Eli Barnes, SR SS/RHP Zac Wainscott, SO 3B/RHP Evan McDonald, SR 1B/P AJ Kelley, JR C Nolan Britt, SR OF Ashton Abbott, SR RHP AJ Caplinger

A strong core of seniors return for a club that knocked off 4A Noblesville in a mid-week last year, was regarded as a Top 1A team in the state for much 2025, won the Hoosier Heartland regular season title over Clinton Prairie, before losing a heartbreaker in sectionals to the Gophers in 12-10 fashion. Much of that squad returns again, with 1A All-State pitcher Eli Barnes and SS/P Zac Wainscott returning to headline. These two combined for a 13-2 record last spring while getting 50% of the teams total innings on the mound. They are yet another strong 1-2 punch amongst these top-ranked 1A squads, and Wainscott returns to lead the offense after hitting .372 last year with 11 doubles. SR AJ Kelley is another experienced returner bringing back impact stats on both sides; went 4-0 W/L, 37 IP, .361 avg, 6 extra-base hits. Nolan Britt and Ashton Abbott will add depth as returning upperclassmen to the position player side, while SR AJ Caplinger provides much of the same to the pitching staff. SO Evan McDonald made an instant impact on both sides as a sophomore, batting .386 with the second-most hits on the team (28), and has a chance to improve both those numbers, and his role on the mound (17 IP as frosh), with a year of experience under his belt.

THE REST OF THE TOP-10

6	Morgan Township	7-20
Click to view their 2026 Season Preview Don't let the '25 record fool you - this is one of the more talented teams in 1A. Coach Ryan Troxel's schedule is filled with 3A and 4A opponents that skews this look, but Morgan has the pieces to play spoiler to front-runner Kouts come sectional time. 1st team All-State performer JR C/IF Cal Lemmons was one of the top 1A hitters in the state as a sophomore, hitting .430 with 7 2B, 8 3B, and 4 HR. He returns alongside JR SS Cal Lemmons, who is a skilled player on the defensive side that will look to breakout offensively. SR Carter Thibodeau brings back a .300 avg and 30 innings of experience on the bump, while SO Noah Ladra brings back much of the same and is another breakout candidate - a low-80s lefty on the bump who could take a huge jump in production this spring as a talented youngster. Finally, the addition of JR RHP/IF Drew Horvath will give Coach Troxell a clear ace. Horvath, a righty reaching the mid-to-upper 80s with quality control, should make an impact on both sides of the ball.
7	Fort Wayne Canterbury	13-9	2025 Sectional & Regional Champions
Click to view their 2026 Season Preview This team graduated All-State performer Reed Hayes, but they return six starters and five hitters that gained valuable playoff experience on their semi-state run last spring. JR SS/P JP Rohwer headlines as the shortstop and ace on the mound, combining with JR C/1B Noah Hayes, who hit .473 last spring while reaching base at a staggering clip. Fellow JRs in 3B Braylon Maxey, P/OF Grayson Achenbach, and IF Landon Mauch are expected to be impactful after gaining experience last spring, while SO 1B/P Ben Hardin returns after making an instant impact as a freshman.
8	Triton	20-10	2025 Sectional Champions

Click to view their 2026 Season Preview 2x 1A All-State performer, SR P/OF Drew Bingamon, returns to lead this team looking to lead his team to a deep run in his senior season. Aside from Bingamon, Triton graduated only one senior from a 20-win team from a season ago, so they have the pieces needed to do so. SR Braxton Kaufman was the #2 last year and also was second on the team in runs scored (30). He returns to bolster the staff and middle infield, while SO C Max Johnson returns after providing a strong presence as a freshman, hitting .340 with 7 doubles. SO P/IF Levi McFarland is another who started as a freshman last year and has a chance to breakout with a year of experience now.
9	Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian	15-10
Click to view their 2026 Season Preview Blackhawk is a sleeper 1A team this spring that we are high on coming into the year. The pitching depth has a chance to be a real strength with SR Brady Ellington and SR Grant Knudson returning lots of experience, alongside talented sophomores in RHP Max Warner and LHP Kyler Wood who could really blossom this spring. We are bullish on the potential of this pitching staff, and they return five starters on the position side of things, as well.
10	West Washington	20-4	2025 Sectional Champions
Click to view their 2026 Season Preview The Senators return their ace and All-State pitcher SR Hayden Morrow, who went 12-1 on the mound last spring while also hitting .426 at the dish. He will be one of the top arms in the area for this classification this spring, and JR Nash Ables will be a strong complementary to Morrow as these two pitchers combined for 101 of the 147 innings pitched for West Washington last year. SR Cole Timberlake was the #3 on the mound last spring and likely fills the same role, and he joins Morrow as top hitters on this squad, as they each tied for the most extra-base hits on the team a season ago.

Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): Borden, Greenwood Christian Academy, North Miami, Riverton Parke, Shakamak, Union City, Washington Township